BNP expels N'ganj leader Iqbal who vandalised bus, assaulted driver, researcher
Iqbal has been stripped of all of his posts, including membership of the party, according to a BNP press statement
The BNP has expelled its Siddhirganj Thana unit General Iqbal Hossain for beating up cybersecurity researcher Minhaj Aman, a bus driver, and vandalised a bus earlier today (13 December).
BNP Senior Secretary General confirmed the matter in a press statement issued tonight.
Iqbal has been stripped of all of his posts, including membership of the party, according to the press statement.
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In a Facebook post tonight, Minhaj thanked the BNP for the move. However, he clarified that he is a researcher who writes in international news outlets, not a journalist as is stated in the BNP press statement.
He also said Iqbal had called him and apologised over the incident.
"Iqbal called me over the phone and apologised at night. I have forgiven him. But I cannot say anything about the injured bus driver and the owner of the bus," he told The Business Standard.
The attack
At around 12:00pm today, Iqbal, along with his followers, vandalised a bus and beat up its driver after the two had an argument.
The driver, identified as Noyon, suffered injuries in the incident and was treated at a local hospital.
Speaking to The Business Standard earlier on the day, Iqbal Hossain, who is also a former councillor of Ward-2 of Narayanganj City Corporation, admitted to the allegations.
"The driver misbehaved. When I asked him to drive properly, he told me, 'Come, you drive'. Then I told him that I would take care of his attitude once we reached the Signboard area. He then told me that many people make such empty threats," Iqbal told TBS over the phone.
"And did he [Noyon] apologise? I first thought of making him hold his ears and let him go. But the public doesn't understand that," he added.
When Minhaj asked Iqbal and his supporters not to vandalise the bus, they attacked him too.
"The BNP leader was angry at the bus driver over his behaviour. When they were vandalising the bus at Sanarpar, I told them it was not right. Hearing this, the BNP leader's supporters grabbed me by the throat and beat me," the researcher said earlier on the day.
Minhaz said when he talked to the BNP leader, Iqbal replied, "Do whatever you can to me. Tell the BNP high command that my name is Iqbal, secretary of Siddhirganj BNP."
In an apparent display of boasting, Iqbal also gave his visiting card, which details his political identity as a BNP leader and contact information, to driver Noyon before he left the area with his followers.
Iqbal said his supporters beat up Minhaj "by mistake".
Meanwhile, bus driver Noyon alleged he was beaten up and the bus was vandalised because he talked to the BNP leader "in a loud voice".
Noyon said, "We were coming from Gulistan when we faced heavy traffic congestion in the Saidabad area. A motorcycle abruptly came in front of the bus and I was forced to do a hard brake which jolted the passengers. At this point, the BNP leader said, 'How are you driving the bus?' and we got into an argument over it. He threatened to beat me up.
"When the bus reached Sanarpar, 25-30 people vandalised the bus and beat me mercilessly. They hit me on the head. My head got cut from shards of glass from broken windows. He let me go after I apologised. I have informed the owner of the bus. I will do whatever they ask me to."
Reached for comment, Fateh Md Reza Ripon, one of the owners of the bus company and a Narayanganj city BNP leader, said he was not informed of the matter.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, however, another owner of the company said, "We'll sort out the matter amongst ourselves."
When contacted over the matter earlier on the day, Siddhirganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shahinur Alam said, "The matter has come to our attention through journalists and social media posts. We will take action if a complaint is filed."
